New Ohio Livestock Care Standards become effective Sept. 29

Following is a release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture dated Aug. 11, 2011.

REYNOLDSBURG, OH – Ohio Agriculture Director James Zehringer today announced that animal care rules developed by the Livestock Care Standards Board will become effective on September 29, 2011.

The establishment of comprehensive livestock care standards is required by Ohio’s constitution following the passage of State Issue 2 in 2009. The statewide ballot initiative specified creation of the 13-member Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board with the responsibility of obtaining industry and public input in developing livestock rules for alpacas, beef, dairy, goats, horses, llamas, pork, poultry, sheep and veal.

“The members of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board and representatives from Ohio’s agricultural community devoted the past 18 months to developing and vetting the most comprehensive livestock care standards in the nation,” Zehringer said. “States from around the country are now looking towards Ohio’s leadership in developing these new standards.”

Ohio’s livestock care rules, which become effective with the Director of Agriculture’s signature, will be signed on September 29, 2011 at a special ceremony in Fort Recovery. That date concludes an extensive outreach effort by the department and Ohio’s farm organizations to inform Ohioans raising or caring for livestock about the new rules.

“We have already started the process of educating Ohio farmers about these new rules and it is our goal to spend the next several weeks in continuing to provide the state’s agricultural community information about them before they go into effect,” said Zehringer.

The meetings are open to the public and will feature a presentation on the new livestock care standards as well as an opportunity to ask Ohio Department of Agriculture staff questions about the new rules.